In recent years, the use of electronic or digital maps and mapping applications has grown significantly. Such mapping applications may be executable by various types of user electronic devices. Examples of such devices include, but are not limited to, a computer connected to the Internet, an onboard navigation system in a vehicle, a dedicated portable Global Positioning System (GPS) device, a mobile computer device (e.g. a smartphone), or other type of GPS-enabled computing device. The displayed electronic maps often convey information related to roads, traffic, buildings, landmarks, terrain, and other geographic locations or regions of interest. Most electronic maps allow users to view various portions of a map (e.g. via scrolling, zooming, rotating, and panning functions)
Some electronic maps may be interactive, receiving initial user inputs such as an input of a specific geographic location and providing map information based on the initial user inputs. Some mapping applications also may include route guidance features allowing users to receive route information or driving directions to a particular address based on each user's initial input of a location or detection of each user's current geographic location, as derived through GPS or other location detecting means.
Interactive maps also may provide information about various points of interest (POIs) at or near a known location. A POI may be, for example, a specific business, destination, or attraction that is useful or interesting to an individual or a group of individuals, or that the individual or the group may want to visit. By way of example, POIs on a digital map may represent gas stations, rest areas, hotels, restaurants, museums, hospitals, historical sites in a specific geographic area, houses for sale, etc. A POI may also correspond to a movie theater showing a particular film, a restaurant that serves a specific type of food, etc.
Digital maps, either interactive or non-interactive, may be used for planning or taking a trip. Such trips may be to the same location (e.g., daily commuting from home to work), new short-distance trips to unfamiliar locations, long-distance vacation road-trips, or any other type of travel. For example, a user may use a digital mapping application executable at the user's device to input origin and destination locations and obtain routing directions to and from the locations. Mapping service providers also may track a user's location using GPS or other location detecting means coupled to a user's electronic device. Based on this location information, the digital maps may provide users with real-time information, such as live traffic information. The digital maps also may provide dynamic routing adjustments for a predetermined or prescribed route of travel when the location of the user's device is tracked.
However, conventional mapping applications or services do not provide advance identification and interactive user consideration and selection of POIs at various points along a planned route.